h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Me and Kitty had a fantastic view of the last night. I went outside with my new camera I got for Christmas, and managed some really good shots. I'll bung a couple online tonight - if I can get to the computer, that is!!

saw the moon shining in my bedroom sadly a citylight was ruining the view.

That moon was amazing indeed.
Shortspeak: My friend and I like to use the word swan as a convenient contraction of the phrase 'Nice one!', especially if considering going down the pub:

"Shall we get down the Swan?"
"Swan."

I've stuck a couple of pics online from last night - they're in this folder:

http://public.fotki.com/moonhogg/random-bits/

Unfortunately Fotki drops the resolution down somewhat. If anyone is interested, I can send full resolution copies to them. Drop me an email at the address mentioned in the "Where Are You" section in my PS - and tell me in here you've sent mail, so I can go and look for your mail.

As long as you've got a decent 2 or 3 layers of high quality insulation wrapped round you, it's worth guddling around to find the sunlounger we didn't need a few months ago.

Saves the neck a bit.

And be careful with the hot . Fuzzes the lenses up something awful.

I've made a start on the "100 things to see on the moon" list. I found the . The next 99 may be a little more difficult.

another moon...do not forget zoom in!
http://www.google.com/moon/

I'm a bit miffed there are no close-ups of the saucepan lids

It used to be that when you zoomed in, when you got *REALLY* close, you could see the cheese, but they've stopped doing that now...

I was bino-gazing at M44 the Beehive cluster in Cancer last night. It looks much better without the moon in the way

Living in Pennsylvania, I can't believe that Jimi didn't mention two phrases used around here:

"It's all" instead of "It's all gone" or "We're all out of it"

and

"a while", which means something on the order of "while you/I do something else" (I think that's how it's used... not being a Pa native, I still have trouble figuring this one out)

There may be more, those are just the main "talking shorthand" phrases I've heard since I've been in Pennsylvania.

Being ignorant of American usage, all I can add is ....

In Scotland

A "wee" while is considerably longer than a conventional while.

A "Wee Whilie" verges upon infinity.

Anyone see the half-moon this morning?

Don't forget, 31st (that's Thursday) - Venus and Jupiter are only 1½° apart you just need to look East before the sun rises

have you seen the news ? sometime next month or March, an American spy satellite, the size of a bus, is coming to earthbut they don't know where yet and it's supposed to have some bad elements in it ??

Don't worry Profit'll burn up during re-entry.

aw! I wanted bit, to sell

Oh! I thought you were worried it was going to land on your head! In that case, if any bits land in my garden, I'll mail them to you

take more than a satellite, to hurt this head

back later

Never mind Prof.

If it burns up in the atmosphere we'll all get a chance to breathe it in. Even the rather pale greens like me are beginning to see we can't keep using the seas and atmosphere as rubbish dumps.

Any chance of their being done under the clean air act? Or for not recycling it under the newer EU plans for cars and other vehicles etc?

mail bits of satellite
...calls serious biohazard cleaning service and post office inspector general...

According to the story I saw, that satellite still has a fuel load aboard, which means unless something else is seriously fried, it should be possible to work out at least a guided reentry.

Meanwhile the ESA, a couple of years back began using a new type of satellite tender that docks station keeping engines to the exhaust nozzles of a satellite in orbit in order to extend the working life of satellites that have run out of station keeping fuel but are otherwise still functional.

Myself, I'd like to see a shift in the way derelict satellites are handled, perhaps a mothball in space approach, stockpiling out in L5 for example. I lamented seeing MIR brought down and would hate to see this happen to the Hubble Space Telescope, which properly ought someday to have a place in a museum.